MQM-L worker held for ‘111 target killings’

The anti-street crime squad of District East and Soldier Bazaar police on Wednesday claimed to have arrested a worker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London (MQM-L) for his alleged involvement in around 111 cases of target killings in Karachi.

During a news conference on Wednesday afternoon, District East SSP Ghulam Azfar Mahesar said the suspect, identified as Abdus Salam Irfan, admitted to his involvement in 111 cases of target killings including those of two army personnel, one navy personnel, eight policemen, two civil government employees, four workers of the Pakistan Peoples Party, 14 Muhajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi workers, 11 people belonging to the Pashtun and Punjabi communities, a doctor, and five girls after subjecting them to rape.

The officer informed the media that the suspect was arrested in the Nishter Road area during a joint raid by the anti-street crime squad and Soldier Bazaar police. “He started target killings in Karachi in 1994 with the killing of rival political party workers of the Muhajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi,” SSP Mahesar claimed. “He along with his companions also killed 57 people on the suspicion of being informants and seven for refusing to pay extortion money.”

The suspect is also a key suspect of the May 12 carnage as it has been alleged that he along with the target killing team members of Orangi Town, including Nadeem, alias Marble, Khalid Siddiqui, Nehal, Zubair, alias Burger, and others, had reached the Guru Mandir area on that day where they fired at the building of a private news channel and also resorted to indiscriminate firing while travelling towards Numaish Chowrangi, in which three people were killed.

His criminal record also confirmed his participation in 57 cases of murders and kidnappings in the jurisdiction of the Mominabad police station of District West. He was declared an absconder in all these cases, SSP Mahesar said, adding that he was arrested for the first time in 1998 by the Orangi Town police and released on parole in 2004, after which he went into hiding.

He was again arrested in 2014 by the Gulberg police after an exchange of fire and later again went into hiding after getting bail. He was also injured during an encounter with the Rangers but managed to escape, the East SSP claimed, adding that his companions either have been killed or arrested while some of his companions have holed up and raids are being conducted for their arrests.

The suspect is an employee of the Abbassi Shaheed Hospital. The Sindh inspector general of police, the additional IG Karachi and the East DIG also appreciated the police team for arresting him and announced rewards for them. The police also claimed to have seized a hand grenade, rifle, TT pistol and stolen motorcycle from his possession. Further investigations are under way.